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Al-Qaeda bombing, financial networks degraded

PUKmedia 28-09-2008 17:32:24

mnf-iraq.com

Al-Qaeda in Iraq’s car bomb and financial networks were further debilitated by the capture of seven suspected terrorists during Coalition force operations Saturday and Sunday.

An operation in Baghdad Saturday netted one wanted man who is believed to be a key player in AQI’s improvised explosive device network. Another suspect was also detained during the operation.

Coalition forces, acting on a tip from a suspected terrorist already in custody, targeted a wanted man assessed to be one of AQI's financial bookkeepers in eastern Mosul early Sunday. When forces arrived at the location, the man was taken into custody without incident.

Then the detained man, who is believed to oversee AQI's terrorist payroll, led Coalition forces to a second location where they arrested four more men believed to be his associates.

"Attacking the innocent children and citizens must stop and Coalition forces will continue to seek out terrorists that threaten the safety and security of the people of Iraq.," Said Navy Lt. Cmdr. David Russell, MNF-I spokesman.

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Pentagon: awakening councils in Iraq, one of the most successful experiences

Breaking News - 01/10/2008 - 10:02 am

Washington / file Press


The Defense Ministry described the U.S. experience in Iraq awakening councils and groups of the people of Iraq as one of the most successful experiences in that country.

He said Defense Department spokesman Geoff Morrell repeated that it would be useful in Pakistan, adding: We had great success with the people of Iraq in Iraq.

If it were possible to repeat this experience through involvement in Pakistan tribal Fsnreh so in all situations and encourage him.

Morel, however, stressed that the Pakistani government has not requested assistance from the United States in that area in the United States took the initiative to talk to her order.

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Governor of Basra, the British consul discuss investment and local elections

Breaking News - 01/10/2008 - 2:41 pm

Basra - Uday Al-Hajri

Basra, Mohammed al-Waeli, with the British Consul Nigel Howard during his visit to preserve the Court of congratulations on the occasion of the Eid al-Fitr was discussed several important issues on the visual scene.

Waili praised the British consul to visit the Court's conservative Eid al-Fitr and said: We appreciate this visit to congratulate the local government and the people of Basra province, adding that the meeting was productive and included discussions on the theme of the upcoming elections for the provincial council, as well as the area of investment in this province, said That investment in Basra is very broad and promotion to attract investors, an important factor in promoting this aspect.

Meanwhile, the British consul in Basra Nigel Howard: that the key issues of concern to citizens focused mainly on the side of services, we note that the governor of Basra province is working well to improve services in his city through joint cooperation and we will focus our work in the next phase of basic services especially in the sectors of water and electricity And sewage lift wastes.

He added that the local government in Basra has been working for a long time on this side and we will support and strengthen these efforts, by attracting investors from all over the world for the implementation of vital projects in Basra and the next stage will witness a development in the area of investment projects, where investment will change the economic reality in the province is Which will help stabilize the security situation by eliminating the problem of unemployment.

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US Transfers Control of Sunni Militias to Iraqi Government


By VOA News
01 October 2008


The U.S. military in Iraq is transferring command of Sunni Arab militia groups that fight against al-Qaida to the Iraqi government.

Beginning Wednesday members of these so-called "Awakening Councils", also called "Sons of Iraq", will receive their salaries from the Iraqi government - not the U.S. military.

Many of the 100,000 Sons of Iraq are former insurgents. Their help has contributed to the fall in violence across the country.

About 20 percent of the fighters are expected to be integrated into Iraq's security forces, while the rest will take other government jobs.

In a separate development, Iraqi officials say 359 civilians were killed in the country in September. That is 23 fewer civilians than were killed in August.

http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-10-01-voa12.cfm

Czechs to withdraw most troops from Iraq

The Associated Press
Wednesday, October 1, 2008


PRAGUE, Czech Republic: The Czech government has approved a Defense Ministry plan to withdraw 15 of its 20 troops from Iraq and increase the number of troops in Afghanistan by 230 next year.

Deputy Defense Minister Martin Bartak says the withdrawal from Iraq comes after consultations with the Czech Republic's allies.

The number of Czech troops serving in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan will reach 645 next year, Bartak said Wednesday.

A separate unit of 100 elite troops should continue to serve next year in Afghanistan with the U.S.-led operation against al-Qaida and Taliban fighters, he said.

Parliament still needs to approve the deployment.

http://www.iht.com/bin/printfriendly.php?id=16612360

Iraq's U.S. efforts continue to sign security agreement

Wednesday 01 October 2008 05:45 GMT


Negotiations are continuing shuttle between Iraq and the United States on a to the satisfaction of both parties in terms of security agreement to be signed between the two countries, with positive signs indicating the possibility of signing soon.

In this context, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki Baldharorip Convention of the two countries, but stressed the need to respect the interests of Iraq.

He told Maliki told The Associated Press his willingness to accept compromise in respect of thorny issues, including the extent of the authority of the United States troops inside Iraq, also stressed that the parliament will not accept the agreement would make a weak political differences in Iraq.

Maliki stressed his country's desire to help the United States during the current economic crisis, adding that the best way to help Washington is to give the bulk of security functions in Iraq to the Iraqis.

For his part, President Jalal Talabani said there was agreement in principle to the American troops would be out the end of this year from Baghdad and other Iraqi cities to return to certain rules agreed upon between both Iraqi and American.

Talabani said in a series of press interviews that the talks between Baghdad and Washington are not disruptive to the point of despair of the signing, adding that the task of negotiations in view of the sovereign sensitive items.

President of the Republic preferred to sign the agreement with President George W. Bush, before leaving the White House early next year.

Talabani revealed the other hand, that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told him that Tehran was ready to negotiate unconditionally with the Americans to resolve all hot issues in Lebanon, Afghanistan, Palestine and Iraq.

International positions on the agreement, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said his country ready to support any option of the Iraqi leadership to decide on U.S. troops.

Lavrov At a press conference held at United Nations Headquarters in New York, said that if it was agreed to keep U.S. troops to the satisfaction of the Iraqi leadership, we will be happy, but if there is the Iraqi leadership that they are not ready to sign the agreement because it is inconsistent with the interests of us will not be any problem in Support the continuation of the mandate of the multinational forces Baqrarmen the UN Security Council.

The Russian minister denied categorically rumors circulated about the use of the veto Moscow veto the renewal of the mandate of the multinational forces.

The Convention also on the line, with conflicting statements on U.S. government and the announcement of the signing near the varied political views about the outstanding points of disagreement in the Convention, as some politicians said the possibility of reaching a final agreement during the coming period to ensure the country out of the huge item VII, while noting others The sticking points may prevent access to the parliamentary consensus.

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The government received today is 100 thousand fighters in the awakening councils

Wednesday 01 October 2008 12:29 GMT


Asahoat in a new file, it is expected to take over the responsibility of the government today, Wednesday, a hundred thousand fighters in the awakening councils, according to the U.S. military spokesman Lieutenant David Russell, who stressed that the coalition forces is the transfer of responsibilities to the people of Iraq today without the government to disclose more Details.

In the meantime, his national security adviser Mowaffaq al-Rubaie said the government will pay the salaries of these elements from the thirteenth of this month. It is noteworthy that the government agreed to take over responsibility for all elements of awakening from the beginning of this month to apply to five and forty thousand element In the province of Baghdad alone.

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Workshop Lebanese - Iraq to highlight the Arab and international experience in reforming institutions and electoral systems

Wednesday 01 October 2008 12:32 GMT


Under the patronage of Lebanese Interior Minister Ziad Baroud and in the presence of a number of commissioners and heads of electoral commissions, opened the Independent Electoral Commission in the Galleria Hotel in Beirut workshop under the title "The administration and electoral systems" in cooperation with the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies.

Lebanese Interior Minister after a speech at the opening of the workshop, explained how tribute to the cooperation between Lebanon and Iraq on the issue of election law and how it benefits Iraq from the Lebanese experience in this area.

Head of the election of the Independent Electoral Commission judge Qassem said Aboudi, said he does not need the existence of gaps in every election laws, hoping to reach the House of Representatives to solve the problem in the most important question of law, the Iraqi minorities.

For his part, said Faraj al-Haideri, head of the UNHCR waiting to be approved by the president of law and published in the Official Gazette until the start of work

Lebanese MP Ghassan Mkheiber held the first workshop on the administrative supervision of the electoral process has had a lengthy speech which he explained most of the points in the electoral process in Lebanon.

For his part, speaking Commissioner Saad al-Rawi tribute to the work of the Office to keep elections fair and absence of any fraud

And continue the work of a workshop of the Independent Electoral Commission five days to be in the end, exchange of expertise, experiences and practical suggestions to draw between the two countries.

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Oil RISES AGAIN

Wednesday 01 October 2008 05:57 GMT


Rising price of U.S. light crude futures transactions in dollars a barrel, after falling about ten percent in the previous day, after deputies rejected the U.S. plan worth seven hundred billion dollars to save the financial sector. The price of crude to ninety-eight dollars and thirty-seven cents a barrel.

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Gulfsands focused on Middle East

Created: 1 October 2008 Written by: Daniel O'Sullivan

Interim results from Gulfsands Petroleum are overshadowed by the subsequent production start-up at the Khurbet East oilfield in Syria, with volumes stabilising ahead of expectations at 11,500 barrels per day.

The results also detailed progress on negotiations in Iraq regarding the Maysan gasfield and said Gulfsands is now seeking financing for this potentially lucrative project.

http://www.investorschronicle.co.uk/Companies/ByEvent/Results/Inbrief/article/20081001/dc4b5a60-8fb3-11dd-8b12-00144f2af8e8/Gulfsands-focused-on-Middle-East.jsp

Iraqis stand up


Published: October 1, 2008

Iraq's new election law will not, by itself, stop sectarian violence. Nor will the law, which governs provincial elections early next year, deliver electricity, clean water and jobs to bomb-blasted urban areas and forlorn villages. But in adopting the law by a unanimous vote last week, members of the Iraqi Parliament made it clear that they recognize the benefits of waging their power struggles by political means.

Recent changes in the power balance among factions made the agreement on the election law possible. Al Qaeda in Iraq has been pretty well smashed by the Awakening Councils - 100,000 armed men paid by the U.S. military and deployed by Sunni Arabs. On the other side of the sectarian divide, the government of Shiite Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki used the Iraqi Army to take on the militia of Moktada al-Sadr, reducing that cleric's sway over Basra in the south and large areas of Baghdad.

In this situation, members of Parliament could see advantages to making the compromises. With fear of a Sadrist takeover reduced, Maliki and his allies in the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq had a chance to enhance their representation in Parliament, thanks to their new aura as nationalist enforcers of security.

Sunni legislators watched a Shiite government go to war against a Shiite militia that had murdered untold numbers of Sunni Arabs. Consequently, Sunnis decided they could use the ballot box to pursue their fair share of power - and of the wealth awaiting extraction from Iraq's vast oil fields.

The lure of those oil riches is beginning to turn Iraqi politicians toward cooperation and a common national identity. This may be true even for the disputed city of Kirkuk, which Kurds want to bring under the Kurdish Autonomous Government in the north, against the wishes of Turkmen and Arabs.

Parliament opted for a committee of the major ethnic groups to determine the status of Kirkuk. The city's residents will not vote until that determination is made. But with improved security bringing the day closer when Iraqis may cash in on their enormous oil reserves, a resolution of the conflict over Kirkuk may become easier.

Since most of the unexploited oil fields are in the south of Iraq, the Kurds could fare better in the long run if they aim for a portion of the proceeds proportional to their share of Iraq's population.

A new Iraq is coming into being, and it will not need or want a foreign army of occupation on its soil.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/10/01/opinion/ediraq.php

US Transfers Sunni Militias to Iraq Control


By VOA News
01 October 2008

The U.S. military in Iraq is transferring command of Sunni Arab militia groups fighting extremists to the Iraqi government.



Armed member of anti-Qaeda Sahwa (Awakening) Council patrols central Baghdad, 01 Oct 2008


Beginning Wednesday, members of these so-called "Awakening Councils," also called "Sons of Iraq," will receive their salaries from the Iraqi government, not the U.S. military. It is seen as a key test of reconciliation between Iraq's two main religious sects.

Many of the 100,000 Sons of Iraq are former insurgents. Their help in battling al-Qaida in Iraq members has contributed to the fall in violence across the country. But many of the Sunni members fear that the Shi'ite-led government will arrest and possibly kill them.

A Pentagon study released Tuesday expressed concern that the integration is happening too slowly and could rekindle violence if it fails.

About 20 percent of the fighters are expected to be integrated into Iraq's security forces, while the rest will take other government jobs.

In a separate development, Iraqi officials say 359 civilians were killed in the country in September. That is 23 fewer civilians than were killed in August.

http://voanews.com/english/2008-10-01-voa12.cfm

Gun-toting fighters battling Qaeda embrace Iraqi govt

(AFP)

1 October 2008

BAGHDAD - Gun-toting Sunni Arabs battling Al-Qaeda cautiously embraced Iraq's Shiite-led government on Wednesday as the US military transferred responsibility for them to Baghdad without major hiccoughs.

The transfer of all 100,000 "Sons of Iraq" (SoI), as the US military calls them, got underway with 54,000 men in the province of Baghdad.

On Wednesday, Omar Samir, 36, a leader of one of the anti-Qaeda group, known as Sahwas in Arabic, said the 63 fighters under his command in the Sunni district of Adhamiyah were happy to be paid by Baghdad.

"We're really happy, we feel that from today we'll be representing Iraqi law 100 percent. From now on we'll receive our orders from the Iraqi government," Samir told AFP.

He said his men filled out papers and underwent medical tests to join the police or the army.

The transfer was a long-standing demand of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, and the handover was agreed with the US military in August.

Iraqi National Security adviser Mowaffak al-Rubaie told AFP the governmentwill pay the first salary at the end of the month, with the bill in Baghdad at around 15 million dollars (10.6 million euros).

Control of the remaining Sahwas in central, western and north-central Iraq will be transferred gradually.

The mostly former insurgents who fought US and Iraqi forces after Saddam Hussein fell in 2003, have helped curb the violence since late 2006 after they sided with the Americans to battle Al-Qaeda.

Baghdad has said 20 percent of them would be absorbed into the country's security forces and that most of the rest would be considered for civilian jobs.

Some Sahwas have also expressed caution about the transfer.

"We are happy but also afraid," said Abu Safa'a, a Sahwa leader.

"I am concerned about those who do not join the security forces. They are going to be targets of Al-Qaeda."

Rubaie said Baghdad will continue to employ these men to expand the security gains.

"All volunteers are being carefully screened" medically for absorbing them into the security forces, he said, adding that Baghdad would be responsible for assuring the economic future of those Sahwas who do not join the security forces.

Takssin Saadi, 36, who is an electrician by night and a Sahwa by day, says he wants to exchange his day job for a position in the police.

"I want to be a policeman, but I think we are going to be integrated into the army, because there is an army base in the neighbourhood," he said.

If the Sahwas are not taken into the security forces or given state jobs, Iraq risks erasing security gains achieved since late last year, lawmakers and analysts say.

Kurdish MP Mahmud Othman said "the Shiite government looks at them as a political enemy. It sees them as Arab Sunni fighters who were former Al-Qaeda or insurgents fighting the government and they have to be punished."

US commanders have also warned that those fighters who do not find employment could return to insurgent activities.

"The Sons of Iraq have paid a heavy price fighting Al-Qaeda with us," the US commander for Baghdad, Major General Jeffery Hammond, said last week.

"The whole world is watching what the government does with SOI transition, above all in Baghdad where it starts," he said.

"Guys who are not successful, they could be back on streets, angry, Al-Qaeda will be recruiting them, and we take a step in the wrong direction."

Joost Hiltermann of the International Crisis Group said the real problem was not the transfer, but the absorption of the militiamen.

He said if these Sahwas are not absorbed efficiently it "is very likely... the SOI will revert to insurgency as a way, probably unsuccessful, of achieving their objectives of rolling back Iranian influence and regaining power."

Iraq has seen a downward trend in violence since the middle of last year.

As it stands, the number of Iraqis killed in September was 440, little changed from August, officials announced on Wednesday.

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?col=&section=middleeast&xfile=data/middleeast/2008/October/middleeast_October8.xml

The Misrule of Massoud Barzani: Iraqi Kurdistan's Yasser Arafat


Sam Brannen | Bio | 01 Oct 2008
World Politics Review



Once an oasis of stability in Iraq, the Kurdish north is increasingly a source of unrest. Because of the misrule of Massoud Barzani, the president of the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq (KRG) who may go down as the Yasser Arafat of the Kurdish people, the region is becoming a danger both to the country and to its own people.

The contrast between Barzani and Iraq's president, Jalal Talibani, is striking. Talabani, the scion of Kurdish Iraq's other political dynasty, has spent the years since liberation from Baathist rule in Baghdad, earning a reputation as one of the great uniters of a fractious Iraq, often serving as mediator between the various sects, the Americans, and others in the region.

Massoud Barzanai, on the other hand, has spent the past five years amassing power and influence in Erbil, the capital of the increasingly independent Iraqi Kurdistan, where he has focused on conducting oil deals beyond the reach of the central government, and has refused to cooperate with Turkey to combat the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorists that operate from safe haven in territory ostensibly under his control.

Corruption in the Kurdish region is rampant, and many of the Turkish firms that rushed in after the liberation of Iraq, eager for contracts, have gone unpaid for work already completed. Luxury cars are appearing on the streets while many ordinary Iraqi Kurds are increasingly disillusioned with the continued lack of development. Opposition parties rooted in Islamist politics -- perceived as immune from corruption -- are springing up across the political landscape, but no elections are scheduled (the Kurdish region will not hold elections with the rest of the country in January) and it's likely that even if elections were held, the outcome would be predetermined.

Most recently, Barzani has demanded that the central government pay for his Peshmerga forces, still likely the best trained and most disciplined in Iraq. He argues that these forces are for the greater good of all of Iraq, but has simultaneously taken to deploying them in contested areas outside the established borders of the Kurdish region. This has resulted in a heightening series of clashes with Sunni Arabs, mainly focused in Diyala province. Barzani claims that the Peshmerga are fighting al-Qaida, and that their role in the stabilization of Iraq continues to be underappreciated. While some Peshmerga were folded into the Iraqi Army and have fought bravely and died for the security gains in Iraq over the past year, for the most part Barzani has jealously guarded his forces in a region that doesn't especially need them. Barzani's true goal is clear: expand the borders of Iraqi Kurdistan into oil-rich areas before the state of Iraq and a more capable central government solidify.

Massoud Barzani's son and the prime minister of the KRG, Nechirvan, has shown himself to be a far more reasonable man, serving as a key link in talks with Turkey about the PKK issue. But he does little to temper his father's excesses. Cause for greater concern are the continued health problems of Jalal Talibani, whose exit from the scene would truly leave Masoud Barzani's ambitions unchecked. Such a situation would be perilous not only for Iraq's immediate stability, but for the long-term prosperity of the Iraqi Kurdish people as well.

Sam Brannen is a fellow with the Center for Strategic and International Studies' International Security Program.

Photo: Kurdistan Regional Government President Massoud Barzani at the Pentagon, Oct. 27, 2005 (DOD photo).


http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/article.aspx?id=2729

Report: Iraq security improves; basic conflict remains

By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
Posted: Oct. 1, 2008 8:38 a.m.
Updated: Oct. 1, 2008 8:49 a.m.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 30, 2008 - Trends across the security, political and economic landscape of Iraq continue to improve, but the fundamental character of the conflict remains unchanged, according to a Defense Department report submitted to Congress yesterday.
The improved security in Iraq has opened the doors for dialogue between the leading parties in the country's government and communities and has made room for other institutional developments. But results are still tenuous and long-term stability will only be realized if the Iraqi government continues to build its legitimacy and take on existing challenges, the report says.

The quarterly report is required by the 2008 DoD Appropriations Act and measures the stability and security in Iraq.

The report states that security in the country has continued to improve, even as coalition forces have drawn down, with security incidents at levels last seen in 2004. Civilian deaths across Iraq have declined by 77 percent compared to the same reporting period last year. Major contributions include the surge of coalition forces, the growth of the Iraqi security forces and the efforts of the "Sons of Iraq" citizen security groups, according to the report.

High-profile suicide attacks have taken fewer lives, and they have not been as successful at inciting subsequent violent acts, the report says.

At the same time, coalition forces have drawn down significantly. All five U.S. surge brigade combat teams, two Marine battalions and other coalition forces have left Iraq. The transfers to provincial Iraqi control of Qadisiyah province in July and of Anbar province this month highlight the report's assessment of security achievements during the drawdown of coalition forces.

The Iraqi security forces also are making progress and earning the respect of the Iraqi people, and with coalition forces, they have had many successes in the past several months against local and Iranian-supported militias, the report says. This has led to a shift in the people's attitude toward the militias, and has led to more Iraqis choosing to address their differences politically rather than through violence, according to the report.

The security successes have also led to the degradation of al-Qaida in Iraq's capabilities, the report says, and have led to broader political support for the Iraqi government.

But the report also states that while trends continue to remain positive, "they remain fragile, reversible, and uneven."

"While security has improved dramatically, the fundamental character of the conflict in Iraq remains unchanged-a communal struggle for power and resources," the report reads.

The report calls on the Iraqi government to continue building legitimacy by serving its people while taking on challenges that remain.

Some of those challenges facing the government include expanding its ministries of Defense and Interior to properly man, train and sustain their field forces. It needs to improve its defense budget and distribution of resources, the report says, and it calls on the defense ministry to successfully integrate former militia members into the Iraqi security forces.

Iranian influence in illegal militias known as "special groups" continues to plague Iraqi security efforts, the report says.

"Malign Iranian influence continues to pose the most significant threat to long-term stability in Iraq," the report reads. "Despite continued Iranian promises to the contrary, it appears clear that Iran continues to fund, train, arm, and direct [special groups] intent on destabilizing the situation in Iraq."

The nearly 100,000 Sons of Iraq helping with local security are slowly transitioning into the traditional Iraqi security forces, but the process needs to be faster and more efficient, according to the report.

Iraqi leaders continue to make incremental but steady political progress, the report says, thanks largely to the security gains.

"The current security environment is more hospitable to compromise across sectarian and ethnic divides, while expanding oil revenues have generated the funds needed to support development and reconciliation programs," the report reads.

http://www.coastalcourier.com/news/article/8811/

Iraq News


Iraq insists on national interest in US pact

Wednesday, October 01, 2008 10:03 GMT


Iraqi-US talks are ongoing in aim to reach a satisfactory compromise for both parties in light of positive signs indicating that the agreement might be signed soon. In this context, Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki considered that the agreement is essential for both countries stressing the necessity to respect Iraqi interest. In an interview with the Associated Press, Al Maliki said he is willing to compromise on debated issues including the legal jurisdiction over U.S. troops in the country, but warned that Iraq's parliament will not accept any pact that falls short of the country's national interests.

Al Maliki underlined his country’s willingness to help the United States through its present financial crisis clarifying that the best way to help Washington is to hand over most security missions in Iraq to Iraqis.

For his part, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani affirmed that there is a primary agreement stipulating the withdrawal of US Forces from Baghdad and Iraqi cities by the end of this year as they would regain bases agreed upon between Iraq and the US. Talabani said that talks between Baghdad and Washington are not doomed to failure noting that negotiations are crucial due to the sensitivity of issues thereof. Iraqi President preferred to sign the agreement with US President Georges W Bush before his term ends. Talabani revealed on the other hand that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad told him that Tehran is ready to negotiate without any restrictions or conditions with the US in view of resolving sensitive issues in Lebanon, Afghanistan, Palestine and Iraq.

As for international stands on the agreement, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced that his country is ready to support any option taken by Iraq on the status of US Forces in the country.

http://www.alsumaria.tv/en/Iraq-News/1-22982-Iraq-insists-on-national-interest-in-US-pact.html